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OPPOSITE ACTIONS OF ACh ON EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN CULTURED RAT CORTICAL NEURONS

LIU QING-SONG, HE XIANG-P工NG, LIU CHURN-GUI

InstdW of Toxicology and Pharnuxcology，Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850)

Abstract

Effect of ACh on spontaneous EPSC and IPSC in cultured postnatal rat cortical neurons was studied using whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. EPSC was blocked by a non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist DNQX，while IPSC was blocked by a GABA receptor antagonist bicuculline. When ACh(10一100 }tmol/L) was applied by puff pipettes to the cells recorded，the frequency of EPSC was enhanced greatly，but the amplitude distribution was not changed significantly. However，the frequency of IP SC was attenuated by ACh even at a quite low concentration(1 4mol/L).The effect of ACh on EPSC and IPSC could be blocked by M type ACh receptor antagonist atropine(1 }imol/L).ACh had no significant effect on whole-cell currents actived by glutamate, and GABA. The above results provide evidence that ACh has opposite effects on
excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in rat cortex by acting at presynaptic sites. It is also suggested that ACh plays an important role in the maintenance of excitability of cortical neurons.

Key words: :cell culture;cortical neuron;;;

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Citing This Article：

LIU QING-SONG, HE XIANG-P工NG, LIU CHURN-GUI. OPPOSITE ACTIONS OF ACh ON EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN CULTURED RAT CORTICAL NEURONS. Acta Physiol Sin 1996; 48 (4): (in Chinese with English abstract).